United States with Ranked Choice Voting
The Federal Government of the United States is divided into 4 branches. The Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches, plus one Constitutional Court. Executive Co-Presidents The six Co-Presidents of the United States are elected directly with Single Transferable Vote every 2 years. Candidates may be partisan or non partisan, and thus there are independents serving as co-presidents. They have an equal vote along with the cabinet secretaries, however, certain roles are reserved to the Co-Presidents (who must make decisions by majority), nominating to the Congress any cabinet members who are not directly elected, nominating judges for the Constitutional and Supreme Court, to be approved by the Congress, may veto bills written by Congress if they believe it to violate the constitution, but this must be directed to the constitutional court, which if it finds the law valid, permits the bill to become a law, and can make the Congress convene in special sessions, One must be at least 25 years old, a citizen for 5 years, and resident in the United States for 9 years (with travel breaks up to 1 month per year permitted), and have taken the oath of office, to become a co-president. One person from the co-presidents is chosen for one month, rotating by alphabetical order, to hold emergency powers, to manage any emergencies or wars that may occur in that time period. Non emergency war actions are performed by the Secretary of Defense and Military, who is also the Commander in Chief. A ceremonial chairperson, also serving for one month at a time, to act as the chair of the Executive Directory. The entire directory may be recalled from their petition by a petition from 25% of the population, and a new election is held where each co-president must win their seats by STV again. A person may not be a co-president more than twice. Cabinet Secretaries The federal cabinet secretaries are nominated or elected to serve a specific term of 2 years. Each Deparment is lead by 3 co-secretaries, each of whom are elected at large by Single Transferable Vote. 30 of them are elected directly, the others are nominated by a majority of the co-presidents and confirmed by the Congress. An appointed cabinet secretary retains their office for their entire term, and cannot be removed except if a recall petition. The elected cabinet secretaries are: * Defense and Commander in Chief * Education * Attorney General and Justice * Finance and Treasury * International Relations * Interior * Commerce and Labour * Homeland Security * Energy If a new cabinet secretary position is created, a referendum must be held within 180 days to decide whether it will be an elected position or appointed one. Along with the co-presidents, they comprise the executive directory. If 2/3 of the department's secretaries vote to veto, then a bill affecting their department will be vetoed, however this can be overriden by a 3/5 majority. in both houses of Congress If it affects multiple departments, majorities in each departments ' cabinet co-secretariesmust agree to veto it or else it becomes law. A person must be 25 years old, a citizen for 5 years, and resident for 7 years (with travel breaks up to 1 month per year permitted), and have taken the oath of office, to become a cabinet secretary. Elections take place every 2 years to elect the 10 directly elected cabinet positions, each of whom is selected by instant runoff voting. They may be recalled by petition of 15% of people or more, where a new election will be held. A person may not be a cabinet secretary more than twice. Federal Departments Subject to where a cabinet secretary or the co-presidents, or both, are permitted to regulate a department head, each department has elections from among their members to choose their board of directors, this is done by STV, for individual executive officers, this is done by IRV, however, Congress may by majority vote, disallow their nominees if they have the authority to create any rules for the general public. Their employees may recall them if desired, nowever they serve a 1 year term normally. New employees are chosen by a group of 15 randomly chosen current employees who perform the same task as the potential employee would have if hired, unless there are an insufficient number of current employees, in which case, their would be immediete supervisors take their place. A group of 15 randomly selected also decides on discipline, pay, and layoffs and terminations. Meetings of the department's boards of directors and cabinet secretaries are public, and anyone may speak at them. A person may not be a department director or a specific chief officer of a department for more than 6 years, and not more than 3 years in any 4 year period. Congress The Congress of the United States is comprised of two houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Congress must, in both houses (except where otherwise noted) pass the same resolutions by a majority in each in order for a resolution to pass. To initiate the amending of the constitution, a proposal must pass the Congress with a 2/3 majority in both houses. The other possibilities are a majority of the state legislatures proposing to amend or a petition signed by 25% of the population (A majority in favour referendum in 2/3 of the states plus a 60% overall is needed to ratify the amendment, provided the turnout is at least 60%). A citizen's initiative for an ordinary law may occur if 1/5 of the Congress supports such a referendum, or if a petition is signed by 15% of the people, and the turnout is at least 30%. The Congress also has the power to impeach federal officials after a vote of 3/5 majorities in both houses, after which, a trial is held in the Constitutional Court. Impeachment also occurs if 3/5 of the state attorney generals or 3/5 of the state legislatures, representing a majority or more of the people, demand an impeachment trial. = Enumerated Powers * To collect a tax not exceeding 20% of income of those earning less than 75 thousand dollars, provided that these taxes are uniform within the United States, however no person earning less than twice the income defined as poverty shall pay income or capital gains tax; * To borrow on the credit of the United States, however any debt must be repaid within 5 years or have a plan to do so within 5 years; * To allocate the spending of the federal government, except that to the greated possible extent, such spending, contracts, and agreements must be made with cooperatives to provide those services. * To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, the commerce that occurs while crossing the States' boundaries and Indigenous Reserves, * To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States; * To coin Money, regulate the Value but not exchange rate thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures in accordance with the International System of Units so as to ensure that the latter are the primary units of measurement; * To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States; * To establish Post Offices and Post Roads; * To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court; * To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations; * To declare War and permit the use of forces not used in immediate defense of the United States, but only with the permission of the United Nations General Assembly, and with a 2/3 majority vote, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; * To raise and support voluntarily enlisted armies, navies, and air forces that primarily occupy civilian roles except when a specific conflict occurs. * To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces; * To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; * To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress; * To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; And * To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof. * To establish the definition of internationally prohibited crimes and provide for their sentencing and restoration to good conduct, character, and attempt to provide restitution to those who suffer from such crimes. Senate The 250 members of the Senate are elected directly every 4 years by the individual states. Each state has 5 Senators, elected at large by Single Transferable Vote, droop quota. All senators are subject to recall, if a petition supported by 15% of people supports their recall, a new election will be held. A specific question will be asked as to whether a specific candidate should be excluded, and if a 2/3 majority say yes, their votes are distributed to their second, third, and so on, choices. The House and Senate have strictly equal powers, both must approve all non citizen initiative legislative proposals, both must approve of appointments by the executive branch, both must confirm treaties, etc. House of Representatives. The 650 members of the House of Representatives are elected every 2 years by multi member constituencies, ranging in size from 3-9 members each, however only the least populace places have 3 or four members, the mode number is 5. Each electoral district must have the same number of people, plus or minus 5% deviation from the average. This is recalculated every 5 years with a federal census. The election is run with Single Transferable Vote, droop quota. All representatives are subject to recall, if a petition supported by 15% of people supports their recall, a new election will be held. A specific question will be asked as to whether a specific candidate should be excluded, and if a 2/3 majority say yes, their votes are distributed to their second, third, and so on, choices. The House and Senate have strictly equal powers, both must approve all non citizen initiative legislative proposals, both must approve of appointments by the executive branch, both must confirm treaties, etc. Supreme Court The Supreme Court is comprised of 9 judges, 3 of whom are appointed every 5 years. They serve 15 year terms, except in case of resignation. They may not serve any other elected position after that, nor can they have served any elected position in the 10 years before becoming a judge. They interpret the laws and decide whether there were procedural violations in lower court decisions. They are also the trial courts in certain specific cases where no other court would be logical, including piracy, cases between the US government and another country's government, ambassadors, and some other cases. They do not judge cases of whether a law is constitutional, but they do judge whether a case procedurally violated a constitutionally mandated right or process. They must hold a masters degree in legal studies or equivalent for 10 years, not be over the age of 75, not under the age of 35, and have no criminal records that involve a conviction for politically, judicial, or electorally relevant crimes nor other crimes in the last 25 years. They are appointed by the co-presidents after being confirmed by both houses of the Congress. Constitutional Court The Constitutional court is comprised of 21 judges, who each serve for life except in the case of resignation. They decide if a law, executive order, or a decision of the Supreme Court, or the decisions of a state or local government, after appeals, is constitutional. They also hold trials for impeachment, who must vote by a 2/3 majority to convict after an impeachment trial is demanded by 3/5 vote in both houses of Congress. If it is a member of the Constitutional Court being impeached, at least 5/6 (17 out of 20, with the one on trial not counting) of them must vote in favour of impeachment. They are nominated by the federal attorney generals, appointed by the co-presidents after a unanimous (all 6 in favour) decision, and confirmed a 2/3 majority in both houses and at least 30 state attorney generals who must consent, who also have the power to propose a nominee who must be voted on by the co-presidents, congress, and the attorney generals of the states. The oldest member of the constitutional court swears in the co-presidents, the oldest member of the Supreme Court swears in the other federal executive officers who must be sworn in, legislative officers are sworn in by the longest serving member of the cabinet. They also certify by a 2/3 majority the results of the federal elections. They must hold a doctoral degree in legal studies or equivalent for 10 years, not be over the age of 75, not under the age of 35, and have no criminal records that involve a conviction for politically, judicial, or electorally relevant crimes nor other crimes in the last 25 years. Federal Judiciary The federal judiciary, other than the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court, are comprised of prosecutors, juries, and lay judges who are chosen by sortition. All adults who have permanent residency are on jury lists when they turn 18, and if a case arises when the parties wish to have a trial, a jury is chosen. Juries are comprised of 25 people, who must vote by a 3/4 majority or more to deliver the verdict. A person may ask to not serve. They are compensated for their time and wages lost. Lay judges sit on panels of between 3, for trial courts, 5 for district, and 7, for appellete courts, and are randomly chsoen by those who have law degrees in the field of law at hand, and who have dealt with a case of the type (civil, criminal, business, etc) before. Judges are strictly procedural, they ensure order in the court and ensure that the order of the trial is being followed. The verdict is rendered by the jury alone. Actual damages and the monetary penalties prescribed in civil law for the type of penalties are applied for a civil case and in cases where a corporation is the defendent in a criminal case. In human criminal cases, the sentencing is decided by a sortition based system with a panel of criminal sociologists deciding what types of specialists are needed to decide the penalty, who are also chosen by sortition based on those who have the requisite certifications. Lawyers are randomly chosen from among their class (criminal lawyers get a fixed annual salary for handling both the defendent and prosecution, civil case lawyers have the same except they serve at random defendents and plaintiffs. A lawyer must have at least 3 years experience before a person doesn't have to accept the lawyer selected by sortition). The prosecutor is chosen randomly from among experienced (3 years or more) criminal case lawyers, who have handled the defendent's cases before taking a case as a prosecutor. This is to ensure that all persons have equal access to the judicial system and no person is more likely to get a verdict based on access to the best, and is chosen by sortition to prevent a lack of accountability, to avoid creating classes of those who collude with each other or become distant from one another, and can see from all perspectives. No court other than the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court is appointed, and no politician can attempt to get a predicted result based on who they get.